Driving mechanism.



a'rnnr ALPHEUS W. ALTORFER, OF ROANOKE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR- TO POWER `NAS.T-Illl'fi',

MACHINE CO., OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DRIVING MECHANISM.

To all 'whom' z't may concern Be it known that I, ALrHE'Us W. ALTORFER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roanoke, in the county ofWccdford and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Driving Mechanisms, of which thefollowing is a specification.

'Ihis invention has reference to ay new and improved driving mechanism.

'One of the objects ofthe'present invention is to provide a driving mechanism vfor a wringer, which embodies the features of a 'drive for moving the wringer bodily from one position to another, on its support, and for actuating Ithe wringer mechanism, when said mechanism is in adjusted positions and held stationary, on its support.

This invention has for a further object to provide an 'operating mechanism for a wringer, and particularly to that' type of wringer employed in connection with power washing machines, wherein the wringer is not only power operated but is movable onits support toposition the wringer adjacent the washing machine, or adjacent a rinsingl tub or other receptacle removed or spaced from said washing machine. In ma chines of the type mentioned,fas far as vI am aware, the wringer has been slidably supyported` and manually movable, or pivotally supported to be manually swung' to and from the washing-machine or rinsing tub or other receptacle or supported at the upper end of a vertically disposed shaft or standard and swingable in an arc of a circle about .said shaft'or standard. In the present inlvention I have shown the wringer supported .and slidable on its support, but instead of being manually movable, by that I mean, the operator must push the wringer from one position to another, the driving mechanism is so arranged that when operated, if

the' wringer support is not held, the result` ing operation of the driving mechanism is to move the wringer bodily Afrom one position to another on its Aframe support, but any resistance placed on the wringer or its supporting member, suchaswlll hold. 1t against movement, will cause the driving mechanism to actuate the wringer proper. Included in the driving mechanism is a clutch mechanism for regulating suchl drivingA mechanism and for regulating same when desired.

Speeicatio of Letters Patent.

Fig. 3 is a detail of the locking means for I holding the wringer in adjusted positions, and

Iwringer driving means.

6 refers generallyto the frame of the machine, supported by suitable legs and braced in any suitable manner, and 7 denotes Ithe y bed or floor of the machine on which maybe supported a washing machine'S, and a rinse tub 9 or .other receptacle. The frame of the machine may be only long enough for a washing machine and a rinse tub, or it may be long enough tol support two rinsing tubs and an additional receptacle, if desired.

, 10" denotes a. wringer support and comprises standards 11, although only the one Patented J an. 1, 1918. Application led February 24, 1913. Serial No. 750,295. i

Fig. 4 is a detail of 'a modified form of of a vvmachine wringers, except that vthe spindle 14 of one of the rollers should belong enough to carry the driving wheel 15. The runner 12 shownV in the foreground, hasthe bearing plate 16 on which is journaled the wheels 17 and 1,8.-

The driving shaft, designated 19, isjourn naled in bearings 20 secured to the underside of the bed or Hoor 7, and on one end carries a member 21 adapted to receive power from a suitablesource such as a gasolene engine or other suitable motor andon the opposite end of said shaft is carried a gear wheel 22. The gear wheel 22 meshes in and is adapted to transmit motion to a' gear vwheel 23 on a clutch shaft 24. The shaft 24 isjournaled in bearings 25 secured to the underside of the bed or licor 7.` While it has notbeen shown, the gear wheel 23 may be the means of communicating power to the interior mechanism of the washing machine. On the clutch shaft 24 is `loosely carried the be'vel gear wheels' 26 and 27, each meshing in a bevel gear wheelf28 carried on the counf tershaft 29 and saidfshaft 29 is journaledin bearings 30 and 31. '1 (On the clutch. shaft 24,

l between the gear wheels 26 and 27 is slidably keyed a clutch member 32 and said clutch member 32 is adapted to-have a clutch engaging relation with clutch faces33 and 34, on gear wheels 26 and 27, respectively, see Fig. 2. To shift the. clutch member 32 on the shaft 24, I provide 4the rocking rod 35,

its inner end engaging said clutch member and its outer end passing through a bearing plate 36 with a hand hold 37 for rocking said rod 35 to move the clutch member into or out of engaging relation with said wheels 26 and 27, or for placing said clutch member in a neutral position, between said gear wheels 26 and 27. p

On the outer end of the counter shaft 29 is carried a sprocket wheel 3S' adapted to 'drive a s rocket chain" or belt 39. This sprocketl c ain or belt 39 passes around the wheel 18, up and around the wheel 15- on the wringer spindle 14, down and around the wheel 17, to and around a wheel 40 journaled at the opposite end of the machine from the sprocket wheel- 38, and to and around said sprocket wheel 38, from which it receives its power.

In operation, when said clutch 32 isl thrown'into clutch engaging relation with one of said wheels 26 or 27 the chain or belt 39 will be operated in a direction to move said wringer bodily in, a direction away from said washing machine, or in a direction toward said washing machine. The foregoing statement is based on the assumption that the wringer support is free to' be moved along the supporting frame. If the wringer has been moved in the direction of the washing machine, when its support comes into engagement with the washing machine it willustop, but the chain or belt 39 willnot stop, but on the contrary will start the wringer in operation. lThis is also l true when the wringer support has been moved far enough to the left so as to cause the wheel 17 to come into engagement' with the wheel 40. Such engagementl will stop ythe wringer-in its movement and the chain or belt 39 will transmit motion to the wringer proper.

I prefer, however, to lock the wringer in its adjustedpositions on the frame. This is desirable for two reasons, one being that, when the wringer and its support have been moved to a predetermined position at theretrete support 10-is not held, it is obvious that the support and its wringer will be movedy bodily toward the washing machine. As soon as the support 1'0 comes into Contact with the washing machine and it is stopped, the chain or belt 39 will operate the wringer 13 but in a reverse direction from that deso it is necessary to reverse \vthe gearing for operating the belt 39, and when the belt has been reversed, if the support 1G is not'held 4sired to wring clothes passed from the washing machine to the tub of rlnsewater,

drive for moving the wringer bodily, will be automatically transfe red as a driving' mechanism for moving tie wringer bodily, to a drive for operating the wringer proper.

In Fig. 4 I show a modified form of driving device for moving thevwring'er support bodily and for operating the wringer proper. In this view the chain or belt 39 after it passes around the wheel 1S engages and on. a stub shaft 45 having a bearing on the shoe or runner 12. On the stub shaft 45 is a second wheel, not shown7 which operates a belt 46 and said belt 46 in turn operates the wheel l5 on the spindle 14 and one of the wringer rolls. Employing a. device suchA as I have shown and described, the operator may move the wringer bodily by power Vinstead of by hand, as heretofore, and by means of the clutch devices illustrated, or other equivalent, means, the operator has complete control over the movement of the wringer support and the operation of the wringer proper.

l I do not wish to be limited to thel precise mechanical elements herein employed and described, as I am fully aware that modications may be made, not only in the appearance of the machine, 'and the arrangements of its parts, but also as to the individual elements thereof, without departing from'the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is 1. Ina device of the character described, in combination, a frame, a wringer, a sup-y port'for said wringer movable to two'or more predetermined positions, in which positions said support will be stationary, a driving means, connections between said driving means and said support, adapted to move said support to said predetermined stationary positions, said connections arranged to operate said wringer when said` support is in its predetermined stationary 95 passes around a sprocket wheel 44 carried positions, and means for reversing the directionfof movement .of said wringer as desired. 2. In a device of the character described,

in combination, a iframe, a wringer, a supdriving means, connections between saidv driving means and said support, adapted to move said support 1to said predetermined stationary positions, said connectie s ar- --ranged to operate said wringer .when said support is in its predetermined stationary1 positions, and means for reversing the direcy tion of movement of said wringer, as desired.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, a frame, a wringer, a sup* port for said wringer movable to two or more'predetermined positions on said frame, a driving means, connections between said driving means and said support, said con 'nections adapted to transfer the support to its different positions, and adapted to operate said wringer when said support is stationary in its dieient positions, and means to reverse the movement o said connections,

as desired, so as to reverse the movement of l the support and to change the direction of rotation of said wringer.

4. Ina device of the character described, in combination, a frame, a wringer, a support for said wringer movable to two or more predetermined positions on said frame, a driving means, connections between said driving means and said support, said connections adapted to transfer the support to its dierent positions, and adapted to operate said wringer when said support is stationary in its different positions, means to ioclr the support in its dierent positions, and means to reverse the movement or' said connections,

as desired, so as to reverse the movement of y the support and to change tle direction of rotation of said wringer., v'

5. ina device of the character described, in combination, a frame, a wringer,.a support for said wringer movableto position the wringer in two or more different positions on said frame, a driving means, connections be tween said driving means and said support, said connections being so arranged that said support may be moved by said driving means, and said wringer driven-thereby, and reversingmeans to change the direction of movement of said wringer, whereby the material tobe treated 'by said wringer may be moved in different directions', as desired.

6. in a device of the character described, in combination, a frame forming 'a rest for a washing machine and one or more receptacles, a wringer, a support for said wringer movable to cause the wringer to register with the position of said washing machine orreceptacles, a driving means, connections between said driving means and said support, said connections being arrangedso that said support may be moved by said driving means'to cause the wringer to register with the position of said washing machine or receptacles, and to operate said wringer when registering with the washing machine or receptacles, and means to reverse the direction of movement of the support, and to change the direction of'movement of said wringer, as desired, during the yperiod when said wringer 'is registered with the position of said washing machine or said receptacles.

in testimony whereofl l aiix my signature, in presence or' two witnesses.

ALPHEU'S W. ALTRFER. Witnesses l Minonnn F. BONAN, `Praet M. Cormano. 

